In My Shoes
by DragonRose888
Summary: Those small little confessions can turn a world upside down, you know. GaryxAsh, ShiShi Shipping.
1. Call From the Loser

Won: K. So. New story. It is finished. But not all of it will be posted immediately. If you like this, review. I will only post two chapters at first. If you like it, then review and I'll see if I feel like putting up the rest. Capeesh? Then enjoy!

Disclaimer: Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, the Cheerleaders, and Pokemon in general does not belong to me. If it did, this would be an episode.

**In My Shoes**

A Wonnykins Production

"Good night, Gary!"

Gary Oak smiled faintly. "Night, girls! See you in the morning." He closed his hotel room's door. Time for some sleep.

He had been traveling to this town for quite some time. Even though he had taken a car, he was exhausted.

The Pallet Town trainer was just buttoning up his night shirt when a shrill ringing sounded. Someone was calling.

Expecting it to be his grandfather, Gary ran to it, picking up the receiver.

"Hello?"

To his surprise, outward disgust, and inward satisfaction, the face on the screen was Ash Ketchem's.

"Oh. It's you. What do you want, Ashy-boy?" Gary sneered.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Well, one, stop calling me Ashy-boy."

"Uh-huh. No."

"Very funny. Look, I need to talk to you, before a certain red-head blabs in front of you." Ash glared somewhere off screen and Gary heard a girl faintly growl, "What?"

"Fine. But make it quick, Ketchem. I have to get some beauty sleep before I win against you tomorrow."

Ash cringed. "Gee, thanks for the moral support." He glared off screen again and covered the mouth piece of the phone. "Anyway...you remember yesterday?"

"Unless I'm drunk, yes. Why? Lose something?"

Ash shook his head. "Em, no, but do you remember asking me about something?"

Gary frowned. "Look, Ketchem, spit it out or I'm hanging up. I'm tired and I don't have time for your little guessing games."

"Okay, okay! Fine..." Ash sighed, "Just don't hang up. Misty's dying to tell you herself, but Brock thinks I should."

Gary drummed his fingers on the screen. "Any day now would be lovely." He huffed.

"About that conversation about having a crush on someone..."

Gary smirked. "Oh, that. And how I called you queer? Let me guess, you and Waterflower over there are dating, huh?"

Ash cleared his throat. "Um, no, actually." He blushed, "...You were...right..."

Gary blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I heard you, but are you joking?"

Ash bit his lip. "Um, no."

Gary sighed. "Well, err, I'm sorry if I offended you or anything. Because I honestly didn't know. But, tell me," He cocked his head, "When you said you liked someone I knew, who was it?"

"...I was really hoping you weren't going to ask me that..." Ash said softly.

Gary waved it away. "Hey, can't be any worse then coming out of the closet, right? But I seriously doubt you just called me up to tell me I was right about you liking dudes."

He watched Ash close his eyes and sigh. "No, you're right. I didn't. I just thought if you heard it from me you wouldn't make such a big deal out of it." He kept his eyes closed.

"So...? Who is it? Wait, is it Brock?"

Ash's eyes flew open. "Wha-No! No way!" He made a face, "Yuck!"

Gary snickered. "Okay, then Tracy."

Ash stared at him blankly. "...no...never..."

"Uh...Snap?"

"Eh..." Ash waved his hand, "Not the one, though."

"Wait, I got it! It's my granddad, isn't it?"

Ash turned bright red. "You are sick. Very, very sick."

Gary laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Um..." He frowned, "That's all the one's I can think of. Except James, but he's more of a cross-dresser then a gay guy..."

"Who said the guy I like is gay?"

Gary shrugged. "Oh, I have reasons, but Brock might kill me, so I won't list them." He sighed, "Okay, spill it. Who is it that I know but just can't think of?"

Ash worried his bottom lip. "You sure you want to know?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Might as well tell me, now, since you've let the slip."

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You."

Gary frowned. "What?"

"I like...you..." Ash opened his eyes, looking very ashamed, "...sorry..."

Gary fell silent.

"Um, are you all right?"

Gary glared. "No. Why would I be?"

Ash was stung by the venom in his voice. "I-Um..."

Gary snorted, smirking. "You're an even bigger loser then I thought. No wonder you're always following me around and vowing to be better then me. This explains it. You're a queer stalker."

Ash looked very hurt. "That's not true..."

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Admit it, Ashy-boy. You just pulled this whole 'I'm gonna be a master' thing so that you could be near me. Admit it."

The other boy looked down. "That's not true. I just..."

"Am a loser. Say no more, Ashy-boy. Oh, wait, now that just sounds like a pet name. I bet you like hearing me call you that, huh? Dear little Ashy-boy." Gary sneered.

Ash stayed silent.

"Aw, what? Did your feelings get hurt? Boo-hoo. Cry me a river. Now, why don't you let me sleep so I can kick your queer little butt tomorrow. Sleep tight, sweetie."

Ash looked up, and Gary's smirk slid right off his face.

"Why did I even bother to tell you?" The younger boy asked himself aloud, "Forget it. I'm not going to the match tomorrow. I might as well just go home. That's what you want right? I'm the 'stalker', right?"

Gary knew that he had finally crossed the line. "Uh, Ash, I didn't mean it like that..."

Ash looked away. "Yeah, sure you didn't...Good-night..." He hung up.

Gary waited for a moment. Then, setting the phone back down, he climbed into his bed. Turning off the light, he put his hands behind his head. He couldn't help but worry that he had hurt Ash a little more then he meant to.

'...He'll be okay. He always is...' Gary thought to himself. He yawned, drifting off into a peaceful sleep...


	2. See How It Feels?

Won: The next chapie. Okay, I lied. I'll put up three. Enough to get you all hooked.

Screw it, I'm posting it all. Just review for me. I don't care.

Thanks to all of my faithful readers!

Disclaimer: Nope, Pokemon is not mine. Three Ash figurines are.

"I beat you again, Ashy-boy. Let's see, what is that now? The billionth time?" Gary smirked.

Ash ignored him, running to his faithful Pikachu's side. It let out a noise of defeat and shame.

"It's okay, you did your best." The dark-haired boy whispered to it. He stroked the top of its head. "That's all I can ask of you."

Gary threw back his head and laughed. "Yeah, because you sure didn't teach it to do any better! Stop being such a sap, Ketchem! It's never going to learn to beat a thing if you keep telling it that's it's all right to lose!"

Ash kept ignoring him. "Come on. We'd better get you to the Pokemon Center." The younger trainer cradled the electric Pokemon gently.

Gary frowned. He was not used to being given the cold shoulder. "Hello? Can you even hear me, you loser?"

He watched as Ash took his posse and left.

'What the-? What just happened?'

"You're not even going to defend yourself, this time? You've sank to the bottom, haven't you?"

Ash finally turned and said, surprisingly coldly:

"I'm just trying to be more like you."

Gary stood rooted in place, shocked. He growled.

"You think that's me, what you're pulling? You are a complete loser! First, you suck at pulling an act like that, and you have a bit of an identity problem. Face it," He smirked again, "You're the biggest loser of all time."

Ash balled his fist. Surprisingly, though, he relaxed. He whispered something to his girl-crazy friend Brock, who took Pikachu from his arms. The brown-eyed trainer turned back to Gary.

"Okay. Fine. So, that's what I am, right?"

Gary crossed his arms, looking bored. "Um, duh. I just said that, didn't I?"

Ash glared, and crossed his arms. "Fine. So I'm a loser. You want me to tell you what you are?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Oh, this outta be good..."

"You're an ass-hole."

The auburn-haired boy blinked. 'O-kay...wasn't expecting that one...' He frowned. "And that would be because? Oh, and trying to curse isn't impressing me."

"I DON'T CARE! NOW SHUT UP!"

Again, Gary blinked. He watched Ash seethe.

"You're a rude, ignorant jerk! You're a snob! You love to rub everything that you have in everyone's face! You're so conceited that you have a bunch of skinny, plastic chicks in mini-skirts chanting and pretending they're cheerleaders to make you happy! You don't walk because you don't want to get your boots dirty, so you have some guy drive you around in a sports car!" Ash snarled. A lot of criticism for coming from a normally good-hearted boy.

However shocked Gary was, he kept his cool. "Are you done? Because I have other things to do then hear you vent steam, Ashy-boy." He said, yawning.

"No, actually, I'm not!" Ash snapped, "You have a problem with me because I'm younger then you and I come from the same town! You hate me for I don't know why, but you have a pet name for me. What are you, gay! And the whole 'loser' thing is getting old. Think of something better! Or hire some writer to give you some ideas. And I bet you will, too, you're such a stuck up!"

Gary was just now feeling very put out. "Um, actually..."

"No way, you let me finish. I put up with your crap long enough!" Ash noticed the hurt look on his rival's face, "Doesn't feel too good, does it? But, you know what? This is probably the only time you'll ever feel like that, because I'm not like you. See, I don't keep picking and picking and picking at people's sore spots, like you do. But even though you won't hear this from me tomorrow, I'll hear it from you. Do you like feeling like dirt? Huh! Do you!" Ash's face was flushed from all the anger he was letting loose.

"N-No...not really..." Gary admitted.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't. NO ONE likes feeling that way. With that said..." His face softened a little, "...how would you like to feel like that all the time?"

Gary leered at the other. "I thought you just said-"

"I know what I said. I'm promising you that. This actually involves my emotional well-being, believe it or not, Mr. Conceited." Ash replied.

Gary thought for a moment. "I'd...Well, I'd feel like dirt."

Ash nodded. "See, that's kind of funny, because that's exactly how I feel when I run into you." He shook his head, chuckling sarcastically, "Now, if you feel like crap now, what do you think I feel like all the time? Think about that." He turned and took Pikachu back into his arms.

Gary watched his retreating back. Ash suddenly stopped and turned around. Gary watched him change until he could've sworn he was looking into a mirror.

"Smell ya later, Ashy-boy." The other Gary sneered.

'Ashy-boy? Wait...'

Gary looked down. His jaw dropped. He was in Ash's clothes. He reached up and felt the hat on his head. Could feel the messy hair.

He gulped, stumbling back. This was _not _happening. Not happening at all. The other Gary laughed cruelly.

"What's the matter, Ashy-boy? Don't like your new look?"

Gary growled. "Give me back my body, Ash!"

The other Gary frowned, then grinned.

"No. I like being you. You're right. Being a loser's no fun, though. I think I'll stay like this." Ash's friends turned into Gary's squad of cheerleaders. They chanted. "Hmm...I take back what I said about the cheerleaders." The copy Gary said, eyeing one.

"What the-? Listen, loser! I want my body back!"

The other Gary smirked. "Loser? I don't think so. Not anymore. You can be Ash from now on. I don't want to be." Suddenly, he got very sad, "Not the way you treated me, anyway..."

Gary tensed. This had to be another trick of some kind.

"...You never even came out and told me you liked me, either..."

The real Gary froze. 'How...how did he know that?' "I..."

The copy Gary glared, back in mean-mode. "Too late. You're time is way up. It's too bad..." He softened a little, "...I really did like you..." He looked down, and for a moment, Gary could see Ash again. A tear rolled down the dark-haired boy's cheek.

It was then that Gary woke up.


	3. Meet Me Tomorrow

Won: Yep, Gary had a nightmare! Just a nightmare. What a winer...XD But, this caues our little fwend to do some thinking...

Disclaimer: Pokemon. Not. Mine. No. Sue.

"Yah!" The auburn-haired boy sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily. He ran a hand through his hair. His whole body shook. He took a large swallow.

"Well...that's probably the strangest nightmare I've ever had..." Gary sighed, falling back onto the sheets. He let one of his hands fall onto his face. "Daw, fuck..." He closed his eyes tight, "...I hate having a conscience...Man does this suck ass..." He frowned. Tugging the covers from around his waist, he grabbed the phone.

_'These guys are going to kill me for this...' _He pushed the redial button. There were four tones before a red-head picked up the other end.

"Gary Oak, what is your problem! First you completely demolish Ash, and now you're calling at, what, three in the morning! I swear-"

Gary shook his head. "Misty, be quiet for a moment. I need to talk to Ashy-boy."

"Now! Are you nuts!"

"Let's just say I am and be done with it, now put him on. It's important." He growled impatiently.

Misty softened. "If I do, you won't hurt him again, will you?"

Gary cringed. "Yeah, about that..."

"Wait, did you call to apologize?" The water trainer asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Gary swallowed and nodded. "Now can you please wake him up?"

The girl worried her lip. "Okay, but I trust you, so..." She glared, holding up a threatening fist, "If you're lying I'll hunt you down and murder you, you hear me!"

"Yeah, I get it, Misty, now PUT HIM ON!"

She ran to a bed in the corner of the room and shook someone. Ash glared at her from the bed, and the two had a silent, unheard conversation before he got up and grabbed the phone.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" The dark-haired boy muttered groggily.

"Not the point. I had the weirdest nightmare and my conscience is killing me." Gary said, rubbing his eyes.

"Wah." Ash said flatly, "Why should I care?"

Gary frowned. "Well, I was under the impression that you did care, from earlier, but never mind. It's a long story, and I don't want to go into it. That's not why I called you, anyway."

Ash yawned. "Y-Yeah? Well then why did you call me at three in the morning?"

Gary took a deep breath. "To say...that I'm sorry."

"Hmm? What was that?" Ash asked in a not-so-convincing I-didn't-hear-you way.

"I said I'm sorry. You had to have heard me that time."

Ash thought about it. "Maybe I did..."

"Look, you have every right to rub it in my face, but now is not really the best time." Gary said flatly, "I want to see you tomorrow, okay? Do you know where I'm staying?"

Ash frowned. "No...Since when did I have to know?"

Gary sighed weakly. "I told you yesterday, remember?"

"Wha-Oh Yeah! That's right. Must've slipped my mind..."

"Ha ha. Funny. Very funny. You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Gary said sarcastically.

Ash smirked. "Maybe. What do you care? Now tell me when you want to see me so I can go back to bed."

"Um...two."

"Fine. See you then." Ash said, nodding.

Gary waved at him. "Wait!" Ash rolled his eyes, giving him a 'What-now?' look. "Don't come with your pals."

"Why not?"

Gary tapped his fingers on the wall. "Do you want them to hear your business?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Yeah. But I take it you don't."

"Bing bing bing. We have a winner. So, did you get everything?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did. Now can I go back to bed?" Ash whined.

Gary didn't smirk. He smiled. A true smile that made Ash blink. "Yeah, go ahead. Night." Before Ash could reply, Gary hung up the phone.

He punched a fist in the air. _'Yes! Take that, conscious! I did the right thing!'_ He realized what he had just thought. _'Wow. I guess...I'm not that good of a person after all.'_ He sat down, feeling depressed. He flopped over onto his back. _'This is way too much change for one hour. First, I feel guilty. Then, I actually realize what a complete jerk I really am. Now, I...'_

He sat straight up. _'Wait, what am I going to say, tomorrow! That I _like_ him, too! Oh, man...'_ The distressed boy groaned and put his head in his hands. _'But...I have to do it. If I don't...I'll just hurt him again. I have to tell the truth.'_ Gary sighed again, opening his eyes. He knew he had just admitted his fondness for his rival to himself. He just didn't know if he'd be able to do it in front of said rival.

The green-eyed boy cupped his own face in his hands, staring at the floor and feeling suddenly nervous. It was the most fear he had ever felt before. That included some bed-wetters, too. He closed his eyes.

_'...I...don't want to tell him...I've been at this stupid rivals thing for years. It's so hard to just...admit...that...I was wrong...'_ He felt a tear roll down his cheek. He angrily brushed it away. _'Why am I crying! I don't need to cry! I don't!'_ He fell back onto his bed again, curling up onto his side. He felt so lost. Who could blame him? In one night, after Ash's confession, Gary's world had turned upside down for the third time. The first being when his parents left him at his grandfather's doorstep, and the second when he had started pushing Ash out of his life.

He groaned. Lost. He felt lost. Like those other times. He hated feeling like this. It made his stomach hurt. Things like this felt so wrong, but would turn out to feel so...right. Gary hardly ever talked about his parents anymore. He hardly cared. If they left him, then that was their loss.

As for Ash, Gary had found new friends and new things to do. He finally just didn't need his old-best friend anymore. But, that, not his parents, made him feel bad. It used to be that Ash and Gary were inseparable. Best of friends.

_'What ever happened to us?'_ The green-eyed boy pondered, _'Why are we like this, now?'_ He knew he wouldn't like the answer, but he felt like now was the time to dwell on it. His gut knotted up, letting him know that he was in for a railroad ride.

He closed his eyes. Curling up even further on the since chilled sheets, Gary started to dream. Started to remember...

_"Hey, Gary! Why are you hanging out with that kid?"_

_Gary looked up, letting the soccer ball fly past him and into the 'goal'._

_Ash jumped into the air triumphantly. "Yay! I win! I win!" He laughed, running to his friend and tackling him onto the grass. He poked his nose. "You lose!" He giggled._

_Gary frowned, pushing the nine-year-old off of him. _

_A couple of the town boys were watching. "What a loser. Why do you even bother with him, Oak?"_

_Gary got to his feet. "He's not a loser. He's my best friend!" The boys laughed._

_"Whatever. You could do much better then that bastard child." The purple-haired boy sneered cruelly._

_Ash glared. "Shut-up!"_

_Gary nodded, glaring with him. "Yeah, shut-up! Ash is not...that! He's a kid!"_

_The blonde swiped the soccer ball from the ground. "No, he's not. He doesn't have a daddy, do you, you little loser?"_

_Ash ran over, reaching for his ball. "That's not yours! Give it back!" He jumped, but the other boy just held it out of reach. He laughed, watching Ash struggle._

_"Make me, Bastard-Child." The boy sneered._

_Gary growled, running over and knocking the older boy down. "Watch your mouth! Now, give his ball back!" _

_The blonde snarled, throwing the ball into Ash's chest. "Get off me, Oak!"_

_Gary, satisfied, left him alone, going over and picking his friend off the ground. Ash rubbed a sore spot on his chest, but gave his older friend a weak smile. "I'm okay." He reassured._

_The two older boys snickered. "You're destined for hell, kid." The purple-haired one sneered at Ash._

_"I am not!"_

_"Want to know why?" The blonde said, ignoring Ash's outburst, "Cause your dad and your mom weren't married when they had you."_

_Ash stopped looking so angry. "Huh?"_

_"What? Mummsie never told you? Poor little devil-child." The boys laughed. Ash looked confused. Gary glared at the older boys._

_"That's not true! Ash's dad just left for a little while!"_

_"Oh, really? Look, Ashy," One of the boys said, "Ever see a ring on mommy's finger? No? Then guess what? They weren't married, and you are going to hell no matter how good you are."_

_Ash growled. "I am not! That...that's not..."_

_"True? Oh, but it is. My father told me so." Came the blonde's voice. He turned to Gary. "And you'll go with him, if you hang around with him so much."_

_Gary looked taken aback. "W-What?"_

_"Yep. So I would stop palling around with little Ashy, there. If you want to escape Hell." The boys slapped high-fives. "But, the way you two flirt with each other, I'd say you were pretty much doomed, huh?"_

_"F-flirt?" Ash stuttered, turning red._

_"When's the wedding, fellas?" The purple-haired boy teased. He raised his voice so it sounded girly. "Oh, Gary, I love you so much!"_

_The older boys laughed cruelly and left._

_"What a bunch of jerks." Ash muttered. Gary said nothing. "Oh, well. Wanna play another game?" Ash held up his ball._

_"...No thanks. I think I need to go home." Gary answered, faintly. _

_Ash looked at him, puzzled. "But you said you can stay out for the whole day."_

_"I lied. See ya." Gary said, walking to the other boys. Ash stayed behind for a while, then ran to catch up._

_"Okay, then can I come with you?" The dark-haired boy asked brightly._

_Gary eyed him nervously. "No. Go home." He started walking faster._

_Ash picked up his pace, almost running to keep up with the eleven-year-old. "Why? Are you okay?" He reached up, feeling his forehead. _

_Gary batted his hand away. "Go away! Leave me alone!" He cried. He ran to catch up with the other boys, leaving Ash standing alone._

_The younger boy looked at his hand. The skin was red. He looked back to his retreating friend. "But..." He walked a few steps forward, then stopped again. He looked at his soccer ball, feeling very alone..._


	4. Let Them Hear Me

Won: So we reach the longest chapter! And the finalle! But, don't worry, Gary and Ash's relationship will continue. Wanna know why? Well, read the rest of the chapie and then look at the Author's note at the bottom! Arivaderchi!

Disclaimer: I own nothing as far as Pokemon goes, except mechendise. So boo on you.

"Gary! Gary! Wake up!"

"Wah!"

The auburn-haired boy fell out of bed. He stared at his cheerleaders, who were giggling madly.

"Girls!" He scolded. He picked himself up, brushing his sleep shirt off. "What time is it?"

"It's around twelve, I think.' One girl said.

"It's twelve thirty." Another corrected.

Gary sighed. "Thanks. Now, I need to get dressed. I'm having...someone come over, soon."

The girls looked hurt. "Someone special?" A little one whined.

Gary looked away. "Yeah...someone special."

At once, the girls squealed. They jumped onto his bed, on their stomachs, feet in the air.

"So, who is it?"

"What's she look like?"

"Is she a trainer?"

"Do you like her?"

"Are you two dating?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Gary sighed. "I...I can't tell you."

"WHYYYYY?" The girls whined in union.

"Because you all wouldn't understand! Now let me get dressed!" Gary said, pushing them out. He shut and locked the door, sighing. At that instant, the phone rang. The boy groaned and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gary."

Gary looked at Ash, surprised. "Um, hi."

"You are still expecting me, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Gary asked, confused.

"Oh. Just making sure you weren't just asking me to come over while you were half asleep. I didn't feel like showing up and having you say the whole three in the morning thing never happened."

Gary sighed. "Yeah, it happened, now can I please get dressed? I just woke up."

Ash blushed visibly. "O-Oh...I'm sorry..."

Gary forced down a laugh. "Don't be. I just had to get rid of some cheerleaders for that reason."

"If they're so much trouble, why do you have them?"

Gary shrugged. "It's a status thing. See ya soon, Ashy-boy."

"Right. See ya."

-click-

-click-

By the time two o'clock rolled around, Gary was up and dressed. He had eaten and freshened up. It was the most he had ever done in a rush for someone else. He was beginning to think that this was all just to get him freaked out over his rival.

The girls weren't helping. They pranced around, gaily asking him every thing under the sun about this 'girl'.

"How long have you known her?"

_'Longer then I've know anyone else.'_

"Does she like you? Has she admitted it?"

_'_She_ has liked me for a while, apparently.'_

"Do you like her, too?"

_'I don't know, really. I...I think I do...'_

"Is this your first date?"

_'It's not a first anything! Definitely not a date, for sure!'_

"We'll get to meet her, right?"

_'Of course you will. You already have.'_

So, when Ash finally showed up, Gary was quick to get out of the room and drag him downstairs.

"Ow! That's attached to me! What's with all the tugging?" Ash said, yanking his arm out of the older boy's grasp.

Gary sighed. "Just get in the car. My rapid fan-squad is going insane trying to figure out who I'm seeing." The dark-haired boy rubbed his forearm, wearily eyeing the older boy. He got in the back, next to Gary. The driver eyed the boys suspiciously. He had been told to drive Gary and a 'date'.

"Drive." Gary said wearily. The man nodded. He was not paid to ask questions.

Ash crossed his arms, sliding down the seat. "I feel like I'm being kidnapped." He grumbled.

"Just...shut up..." Gary groaned. He put his palm to his forehead, trying to soothe his frayed nerves. First the cheer-leaders' bugging, and now he had to put up with Ash's whining.

The younger boy looked at him. "Didn't sleep well?"

_'You could say that.'_ Gary thought. "Not really."

"Sorry. Just couldn't sleep or-?"

Gary filled in the left-over blank. "Nightmare." He mumbled.

Ash frowned. "That doesn't sound like you."

"I know. It scared the shi-...it scared me." He didn't want to curse in front of Ash, for some reason. Ash still seemed innocent, in a sense. There was no reason to contaminate him with unnecessary cusses.

"...What did?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "This was, what, five seconds ago when I said it?"

Ash looked offended. "I meant what scared you so bad. I'm not a total moron."

Gary turned away, feeling stupid. "Oh, right..." He rubbed the back of his neck, "Nothing..."

"Nothing scared you." Ash said slowly. Gary knew he was trying to coax it from him.

"Ah, nothing serious."

"Liar." Ash accused, lightly.

Gary shot him a dry, withering look. "It's bad enough it scared me. I don't want to tell _you_ what it was." He growled, sting and venom in his voice when he said 'you'. It was too cold. Gary immediately regretted it.

His rival looked away, hurt flowing over his face. "Yeah, I guess so." He stared at his sneakers, surprisingly new. It seems Gary wasn't the only one who had hastily tidied himself up.

The auburn-haired boy looked at the rest of Ash's outfit. Of course, the famous cap was still perched on his messy, satin-like hair. But the jacket/hoodie was gone, revealing a black, shockingly flawless and...tight...black tee-shirt underneath. The jeans weren't the ragged things he usually wore, either. Nice and new. Brand new. Not a frayed edge in sight. His green-eyes traveled down to the gloves. Those were new, too. No green, just pitch black. Silky black.

Since when had Ash started liking the nice, sexy and cute clothes?

There was something about his face, too. Like...

"Are you wearing gloss?" Gary asked, trying not to laugh.

Ash looked up, flustered. "...yes..."

The older boy put his hand up over his mouth. "Why?"

Ash shrugged. "It tastes good." He looked away and Gary saw him lick the gloss.

"You look...girly."

Ash glared, the message 'Well, Hello? I'm gay.' in his eyes. "So?"

Gary snickered. "If you're going to like guys, most of them like guys that actually look like guys, Ashy-boy. Not drag queens."

Ash glared again. "I am not a drag queen. I just like the taste of lip gloss." He crossed his arms and stared out the window with a 'hmph'.

"Sure. That's it. Sure. And that's why you're wearing the tight clothes, too?"

Gary saw the edge of Ash's face grow red. "They aren't...tight..."

The older boy raised an eyebrow. "I can see every line on your chest and your stomach, Ash. _Every_ line."

Ash made his crossed arms tighter, and he slouched over. Gary chuckled.

"I mean that in a good way. All that walking really does help you. I just don't think you need to wear something skin-tight."

"I'm telling you, it is _not_ skin tight!" Ash sighed.

"It has to be some kind of tight, then."

The other boy blushed. "I like what I wear. You don't want me to criticize what you wear, right?"

Gary held up his hands. "Okay, I get it." Ash relaxed a little. _'I just wish it didn't turn me on so much.'_ The auburn-haired boy thought. He chewed the inside of his cheek. He really just wanted to apologize to Ash and be done with it, but his heart and mind were saying that he might as well spill everything.

Ash looked out the window as the car stopped. "Hey, isn't this the park?"

Gary nodded. He thanked the driver and got out, Ash in tow.

"What are we doing here?" The younger boy asked. As if on cue, at least a dozen Pokemon started making their appearances. A lake was sunk into the center of the park, hills on all sides and a little foliage on the side opposite where the two boys stood.

Gary walked to the lake. "I just thought this was a good place to meet."

Ash knelt down to scratch a friendly Meowth's ears. "I've never seen any Pokemon here."

"They're shy." Gary shrugged, "They come out when there isn't much commotion."

Ash giggled as a Greowth licked his cheek. "They're pretty friendly!"

Gary chuckled at the boy again. "They like you." He looked at the other side of the lake, thinking he saw a flash of binoculars. The flash was gone. "Say, um, your friends wouldn't spy on us, would they?" He shifted uneasily.

Ash looked up at him. "I don't know. Misty's kinda malicious like that. She probably would. And she'd probably drag Brock along, too." He went back to playing with the little pokemon at his feet. Gary shifted again. The way Ash basically knew what they might pull unnerved him. He hadn't planned on being spied upon.

"Well, someone's watching us."

Ash again looked up, following Gary's gaze across the lake. He frowned. "I think that's..." His eyes widened, "What-! They'd never..."

Gary turned to the other boy, surprised by his reaction. "Who? They'd never do what?"

Ash looked very mad. He got to his feet and called across the lake:

"I don't have Pikachu with me! So buzz off!"

The bushes on the other side of the lake shivered, and three gangsters got up from their hiding place. Gary blinked, blushing hard.

_'I almost confessed in front of-'_

"Team Rocket! What are you all doing here!" Ash cried.

Jessie flicked her hair. "We've never been ones to reveal our plans,"

"Oh, yeah, right..." Gary muttered, rolling his eyes.

"BUT, that little red-head friend of yours was extremely rude when she bought us off..." Jessie continued.

Gary and Ash gaped. "Misty!"

James shrugged. "It was a nicer pay-check then what our boss was giving us."

The cat Pokemon, Meowth, which Ash realized he had been petting moments before, was throwing a tantrum.

"You bozos didn't have ta reveal yourselves! Now you've blown our cova!" The scratch-cat screeched.

Jessie and James blinked, sweat-dropping. "Um..."

Gary sighed, shaking his head. "You two better just stick with the Pokemon stealing."

"Even though you're not that good at it." Ash added.

James nudged Jessie, smirking. "They make more of a duo then we do, Jess."

Jessie also smirked. "Your twerpy little friend paid us to watch how things went, but she really doesn't need us. We know what's going to happen, right boys?"

James and Meowth snickered.

Gary's face got hot. "W-What's so funny?"

Jessie shook her head, snubbing her nose at him. "We don't need to give you any ideas. But we don't want to be invited to a wedding any time soon."

Ash and Gary face-faulted. "W-What!"

James laughed. "Don't be so embarrassed. We all know what's going on. You, Twerp, were never good at keeping secrets."

Ash placed his hands on his hips, not realizing how feminine this looked. "I can, too! I just can't tell Misty! She's the one who can't keep a secret!"

Gary looked at his pose, snickering behind his hand.

"I don't see how this is funny." Ash said, dully.

Gary didn't trust his mouth to open, so he pointed at Ash's waist. Ash snarled.

"Shut up." He took his hands off his hips and crossed them across his chest.

Gary looked to the sky. "I didn't say anything..."

"But you were thinking it."

"Bite me."

"I'm not in a good mood. I will do it."

Gary rolled his eyes. "So, then do it."

Jessie and crew were laughing out of control.

"What are you two! Already hitched!" Meowth howled.

Ash had had enough. "I'm leaving. And Misty had better not be there when I go back..." He stormed away.

Gary looked at him, panicky. _'I am so going to lose my chance, here!'_ He ran to the other boy and grabbed his arm. "Hey, don't let them get to you! We'll...just go somewhere else!"

Ash shook his head. "I'm tired, and I don't want this to happen again."

"Then we'll lose them!"

Ash stared at Gary flatly. "You do know they never leave me alone, right?"

Gary finally lost his patience. "Then fine! I'll say what I have to say in front of them! It doesn't matter!"

Ash sighed, crossing his arms. "Then do it. What _do_ you want to say to me? The usual?"

"No!" Gary cried, frustrated, "I wanted to say I was sorry!"

A silence fell. Team Rocket stopped laughing. Gary breathed heavily. Ash blinked, not sure of what to do, now.

Gary ran a hand through his hair. "I'm...sorry about what I said last night on the phone. I figured out how much it upset you. And you don't know how hard for me _that_ was, much less for me to do all this." He dropped his voice, "To...admit to myself...that I was wrong...all this time...from the start..."

Ash looked away, feeling somewhat guilty. "Oh..."

Gary looked up at him. "Wait, I'm not...I'm not finished, yet."

Ash eyed him, quizzically. What more was there for Gary to say?

There wasn't, apparently. All he did was grab Ash by the shoulders and press their lips together. Once he did, he couldn't let go. His hands gripped the younger boy's shoulders harder, and he tried to get as much of his mouth as he could. He got so into it that Ash's hat actually fell off and fluttered to the ground. Because all this time, this emotion was just looking for a way out. And, now, it had found it.

The release was that heated first kiss.

Ash groaned. This felt very nice. Perfect.

Gary broke the kiss. He frowned.

"Look, I don't know what I really want, a lot of the time, but, this time," He reached up and caressed the other boy's face, "I know that I don't want to hurt you. Anymore."

Ash hesitated. He still wasn't sure what he could do, right now. Misty had told him Gary would cry, and he wasn't crying. He realized that was his problem, letting her speak for him all this time. Which is why he had never told her about Gary in the first place.

The dark-haired trainer stood on his tippy-toes, arms snaking around the taller boy's neck. He kissed his cheek lightly.

"Thank-you." He whispered in his ear. Gary smiled and brought one of his hands up to the back of the smaller boy's head. The other arm hooked protectively around his waist.

"No, thank-you." The older boy said softly, burring his head in Ash's neck.

"Hey, this wasn't supposed to happen at all!" Came a whiny, familiar voice. Both boys sighed and looked at a furious red-head.

"You three aren't getting your money! I paid you to stop this whole thing, and you failed!" Misty hollered at Team Rocket.

"Stop it?" Ash asked, confused.

Misty turned her furious gaze to him. "Yeah! There was no way I was letting you fall for him!"

Gary glared back, feeling somewhat appalled. "And why not? Got a problem with me, Waterflower?"

She put her hands on her hips, looking like Ash had a few minutes ago. "Yes, I do! I have a problem with the whole thing of him being gay!"

Brock sighed. "Sorry, guys."

Ash nodded. "It's all right. I'm sure you didn't agree to this on your own will, right?"

"It doesn't matter! Now let's go!" Misty yelled. She started storming off. No one followed. She growled, facing Ash and Gary again. "Come on, Ash!"

Gary pushed himself in front of the smaller boy. "And what if he doesn't want to?"

"He's going to! I liked him first!"

Ash sighed. "Misty, I've told you, I'm flattered. But I don't like g-"

"I DON'T CARE! I'LL MAKE YOU LIKE ME!"

Ash sweat-dropped. "Um..."

Gary looked at Brock. "Can you handle her?"

Brock frowned, suddenly having an idea of what Gary was going to do. "When will I see you two again?"

"Soon. We'll let you know."

Ash looked between them. "Wait, what?"

Gary grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the car. "Where are you staying?"

"Why?"

Gary eyed Brock holding Misty back. "Because you are coming with me."

Ash blanched. "WHAT!" He struggled, "I can't leave my friends! And I can't stand to be around your cheerleaders..."

"Who said I was taking them? Who said anything about taking anyone but you?" Gary opened the door and let Ash get in.

Ash looked at Brock, trying still to restrain the insane Misty. "I...They're my friends..."

Gary ordered the driver to step on it. "You'll see them again. But we need them to have some time to cool off, cheerleaders and FAMILY included."

Ash swallowed. "F-Family?"

"They'll know. Brock will tell them. Calmly. They all need some time to adjust."

Ash wrung his hands. "_I _need time to adjust! Dragging me away from everyone isn't going t-!" Gary shushed him with his lips.

He pulled away. "Look, I know, all right? It's soon, I know, but you'll never get used to being with me if you're with everyone else." Gary explained, softly, "Things will just fall apart. You need this, I need this, and everyone we know does, too. Let's not even go into the press..."

Ash blushed knowingly. The news would have a field-day if they found out the famous researcher's grandson and the Pokemon Master's son were dating.

_'Can we even call it that?'_ The brown-eyed boy asked himself.

Gary noticed the look of worry on the other's features. He sighed, reaching over and brushing a lock of Ash's untamable hair out of the tanned boy's face. He slipped the arm over Ash's shoulders, and the dark-haired boy relaxed. He snuggled into Gary's side. He felt the older boy's fingers brush his face lightly.

"Right now, it's just you and me. Things will be okay. But, I have a little owing to do for you." Gary whispered.

Ash looked up, and Gary looked back. Their gaze met for a few moments before the brown eyes and the green eyes closed. Their lips met again in their third kiss. And they both knew that from now on, it really was going to be okay.

It was going to be okay for the rest of their lives.

(w) Fin (w)

Won: Okay, so, my readers, the reason this is not the end of our Ash and Gary escapade is because:

I AM WRITTING A SEQUEL!

That's right! There will be a sequel! Look for it. It's called:

'MY HAND IN YOURS'

(Just not in all caps.)

Keep checking back at me and Dragon's profile for it. I should have it up fairly soon. Ja, ne!

Wonnykins


End file.
